Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
The MZ-R55 is a real treat. The MD disc is protected and relatively dummy proof. The small rewritable discs are big on room and small on size. The system seems happy when jacked to PC's and most sound systems. Small and rugged My unit has been everywhere from the Forests of Oregon to the Jungle of Brazil. It has had rough treatment and still performs like the day I got it.

Strengths:
The unit is strong, versatile, reliable and very compact. Sound quality is great!I have used the system for recording meetings, as a jogging walkman (no skip problems in three years), used it for lanuage training, and music. The Track features are substantial and easy to use. The buttons are small but stil easy to handel even if you have big hands. The remote is a great feature especially for being "on-the-go" The unit fits easily in a pocket while the remote clips to the shirt.

Weaknesses:
The battery life on the MZ R55 on it's own is about an hour. The auxillary battery attachment helps but still is frustrating for field work. These can be overcome if your a whiz at tinkering with battery and charger values. Otherwise keep the charger handy and have a supply of batteries.
Head phones work well, if anything the sound is so strong that it is best to have the AVLS switch at "Limit" to protect hearing. Sony is wise to this issue and placed that switch for that purpose.